Paganism In Christianity Essay - 3102 Words

Religions across the globe have their own distinctive rites and rituals, idols, traditions, and values. Each have in common a desire to explain something unexplainable by common wisdom, or attributing some aspect of life to some higher power. Many religions have at their heart etiological stories, which explain some sort of natural phenomenon through the physical manifestation of their deity or deities. From high winds and thunderstorms to love, fertility, and the sun, such religions focus on the physical world in this life. Other religions try to explain the quot;nextquot; life or the afterlife. These religions usually give a moral code to live by, with stricter adherence to this code offering a better afterlife.†¦show more content†¦They, too, had their heavens and hells, deities and demi-gods. In short, each religion differs somewhat, but they all have similarities as well. Many stories in several classical religions share common themes or events. There are a great many similarities between stories of Babylonian, Greek, and Christian origin. An example of a shared event would be quot;the floodquot; story. Each of these religions tries to explain the reason of a severe flood, which historians have found actually occurred in their shared region. Christianity eventually replaced the quot;oldquot; religions, mostly by means of the spread of the Holy Roman Empire. There were many who opposed being converted, but after the remaining members of these religions realized that failure to convert meant you were a heretic, which meant death, the job of converting was much easier. Even then, some people did not want others telling them how to worship. They had their rituals and customs-they didnt want new ones. This sentiment was conveyed to the leaders of the Roman Churches, who quot;bentquot; their rules and procedures to fit these pagan rites and rituals. A good way to convert someone is to make him or her feel like its the same religion. This is how Christianity has become riddled withShow MoreRelated Beowulf, Christianity, and Paganism Essay963 Words   |  4 PagesBeowulf, Christianity, and Paganism The poem Beowulf is a renowned story that displays many different surroundings and religious beliefs. Some may believe the story of Beowulf portrays pagan beliefs or customs and others believe that the poem is more in agreement with Christian ethnicity. The author of Beowulf uses both Christian and pagan elements in the poem to define the heroic warrior, Beowulf, and the evil dragons. After reading Beowulf the author clearly shows how Beowulf is a man whoRead MoreEssay on Beowulf (Christianity vs. Paganism)689 Words   |  3 PagesChristianity vs. Paganism In the story of Beowulf, there is a noticeable struggle between Christianity and Paganism, and the characters personal battle between the two. 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